“CONSPIRACY THEORY” (TONY DOES SIT-UPS B.G.) TONY: Thirteen, fifteen, seventeen… nineteen… KATE: Did you lose something down there, DiNozzo? TONY: Ninety nine, a hundred. Just doing my morning exercise. KATE: Right. So how old’s this one? TONY: Why does it always have to be another woman, Kate? KATE: Uh, because we’re talking about you? MCGEE: Got your favorite here. Bacon-sausage-cheese breakfast burrito. TONY: I’ll pass. Too much fat. MCGEE: She must be really young. ABBY: Oh, she is. TONY: I don’t think they need to know about her, Abs. ABBY: She’s five ten, black hair, long legs, and gi-normous headlights. TONY: That last part was really necessary? ABBY: That is what you called them. She broke down by the Navy Yard last night, and Tony helped her out. KATE: Oh, I bet he did. ABBY: She’s a junior at Georgetown. KATE: Hmm. So that would make her what, about twenty? MCGEE: Actually, she could be younger. I was eighteen when I was a junior at MIT. TONY: When we need clarification, we’ll ask for it, Probie. Thank you. KATE: Oh, I’m asking. How old, Abby?

ABBY: Well, she was old enough to turn Tony down. Said she only goes out with guys in their twenties. KATE: Oh, poor baby. TONY: She wasn’t my type anyway. KATE: Well, that’s a good thing because I think it’s time that the “Sex Machine” hung his spurs up. (SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN) TONY: How do you know about that? KATE: Your college nickname? Let’s just say that dating your fat brother has its advantages. GIBBS: Grab your gear. We’re going to Georgetown. Petty Officer was assaulted in her home last night. You’re driving… Sex Machine. (SFX: E-MAIL BEEP TONE) TONY: Kate, I’d check your email before we go. It’s kind of important. (KATE OPENS HER E-MAIL) KATE: Where did you get this?? TONY: Wet T-shirt Wall of Fame, Spring Break Ninety-four. Saw it when I was in Panama City last month. KATE: Oh, my god. TONY: I was going to keep it to myself, then you decided to tell everyone my pledge name. KATE: You wouldn’t dare. TONY: Oh! (SFX: E-MAIL BEEP TONE) KATE: Tony! Tony, come on. We can work this out. (DOORS SLIDE SHUT)

CUT TO:

EXT. JESSICA’S HOUSE – DAY

TAYLOR: Name’s Petty Officer Jessica Smith. Claims intruder in military fatigues entered her home and tried to attack her. GIBBS: What do you mean, tried? TAYLOR: At this point? I’m not even sure there was an attacker.

CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

(DOOR OPENS) SMITH: Who are you? GIBBS: Special Agents Gibbs and Todd, NCIS. SMITH: (WHISPERS) We have to talk, but not here. They’re listening. KATE: Who’s listening, Petty Officer? SMITH: I wish I knew. GIBBS: Turn the radio on. There. They can’t hear us now. Tell me about last night. (RADIO PLAYS B.G.) SMITH: How … how do I know I can trust you? GIBBS: Because we’re here to help. SMITH: I heard voices… whispering. GIBBS: Saying what? SMITH: I couldn’t tell, but it was about me. You have to protect me. GIBBS: From what? SMITH: Monsters. (DOOR OPENS) WITTEN: Jessica? It’s going to be okay. TONY: Boss, the Commander refused to wait outside. WITTEN: Lieutenant Commander Allan Witten. I’m Petty Officer Smith’s psychologist. GIBBS: Outside. Now. WITTEN: Very well.

WITTEN: (V.O.) Jessica is under my care. When she missed her phone session this morning, I became concerned. TONY: What’s wrong with her? WITTEN: She’s been diagnosed with Brief Reactive Psychosis. We believe it’s been triggered by the death of her fiancé in Iraq last month. GIBBS: Yeah? Why isn’t she in the hospital? WITTEN: As her condition improved, we released her, treated her as an outpatient. TONY: She told the cops there was a man in her bedroom in camouflage utilities and body armor. WITTEN: Was she hearing voices and did he have a knife? GIBBS: How do you know that, Commander? WITTEN: It’s a delusion, Agent Gibbs. She’s had several just like it at Bethesda. I need to get her back. Gentlemen, I assure you, no crime has been committed here. GIBBS: Why don’t you let me decide that?

CUT TO:

INT. TRUCK – PARKED

KATE: I’m very, very sorry for the sex machine crack, Tony. It was insensitive and rude. I swear it won’t happen again. TONY: Whatever. KATE: Damn it. What are you going to do with it, DiNozzo? TONY: I haven’t decided yet. I thought it might make a nice poster. MCGEE: What would? KATE: I am warning you. It will be war. Hell on earth. MCGEE: What are you guys talking about? TONY: None of your business, Probie! KATE: (IN UNISON) None of your business, McGee! (DOOR OPENS) GIBBS: The Petty Officer Smith say anything while I was talking to her shrink? KATE: No, all she kept telling me was to call her C.O., and let him know that the monsters are after her again. From all appearances, I’d say she had a relapse. GIBBS: Well, my first two marriages were based on appearances. Pull Petty Officer Smith’s records when we get back. (TRUCK DRIVES O.S.)

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – DAY

KATE: Navy Achievement Medal winner. Sailor of the Quarter three times. She is an outstanding sailor, Gibbs. TONY: Lot of overachievers and perfectionists lose it. My uncle ran a Fortune Five Hundred company until they found him digging up holes in a golf course looking for mole people. You’re a perfectionist, aren’t you, Kate?

MCGEE: Before her breakdown, she was working for the Department of Acquisitions at the Pentagon. GIBBS: Who was her C.O.? TONY: Captain Ross Vetter. There’s an open case file on him, Boss. GIBBS: Why don’t I know about it? TONY: It’s not ours. It’s the FBI’s. They opened it about a month before Smith had her psychotic break. GIBBS: What are they investigating Vetter for? TONY: I can’t tell – they’re not letting NCIS access the contents of the file. GIBBS: McGee! MCGEE: You want the FBI’s case file on Captain Vetter. On it! GIBBS: Let’s roll. TONY: Where to? GIBBS: To ask Petty Officer Smith some questions about monsters.

CUT TO:

INT. SEVEN WEST – DAY

REYNOLDS: Hi, I’m Catherine Reynolds. We’ve been expecting you. Welcome to Seven West. Commander Witten is on his way down here. WILLIAM: I can tell you everything there is to know about this place. REYNOLDS: They don’t need to know anything, William. WITTEN: All you have to do is ask me. Who’s got the power? Who’s cool? Who’s got the baby oil? REYNOLDS: That’s enough, William. Go back to group. Oh, there’s Commander Witten now. GIBBS: Kate, you’re with me.

TONY: Uh… boss? What about me? REYNOLDS: Conflict in the workplace? TONY: You have no idea. REYNOLDS: I have a theory that most of it results from unresolved sexual issues. TONY: Really? REYNOLDS: It certainly has been the case for me. I could use a drink. How about you? MORGAN: Mrs. Reynolds. Did you get that shirt out of the laundry room? You know the doctors warned you about this kind of behavior. REYNOLDS: Yeah, well the doctor doesn’t have an ass like this one. Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes.

CUT TO:

INT. CORRIDOR – DAY

WITTEN: She’s being sedated. She’ll sleep through the night. GIBBS: I want to talk to her when she wakes up. WITTEN: Absolutely not. She’s paranoid of authority figures. GIBBS: From what I’ve seen, the only one she seems paranoid about is you. WITTEN: She had a delusional episode. This has nothing to do with NCIS. You can check back in a few weeks. GIBBS: We’ll see you tomorrow. WITTEN: I have a degree in clinical psychology. Do you have any expertise in the area, Agent Gibbs? GIBBS: No. No, I do not. Just a B.S. meter. See you in the morning, Doc.

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – NIGHT

MCGEE: The FBI is stonewalling us, boss. They claim that the Captain Vetter case is classified. TONY: Last time I checked we had clearances, Probie. MCGEE: Well, they’re still not releasing the info, Tony, but I did call the Pentagon and I spoke with the Admiral in charge of his office. The FBI thinks that Captain Vetter was taking kickbacks in exchange for government contracts. He’s on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.. GIBBS: They say anything about Petty Officer Jessica Smith? MCGEE: Yes, she was questioned, but so was everybody else in Vetter’s group. KATE: Well, if she was found mentally ill, it would excuse her from testifying against her boss. TONY: She didn’t look like she was faking it to me. KATE: Something tells me you say that a lot. TONY: Kate, when they pour cold water over your chest, doesn’t that sort of make you-- GIBBS: Hey, DiNozzo! If you do that again, I will put my boot so far up your ass. (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs. SMITH: (V.O./FILTERED) Agent Gibbs… (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

SMITH: (INTO PHONE) I should have told you before. We have to talk, Sir.

GIBBS: Find out who else she called. Check out her speed dial and phonebook. MCGEE: On it. DUCKY: She should have been observed twenty four hours a day, Jethro. A young, troubled girl like this being left alone all night is negligent at best! WITTEN: My god! Did she leave a note? GIBBS: No. If she did, what would she have written? WITTEN: I don’t know. (WITTEN WALKS INTO THE HALLWAY) DUCKY: He was the one responsible for the Petty Officer? GIBBS: Easy, Duck.

CUT TO:

INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT

DUCKY: Commander. How could you have allowed this young woman to be left alone all night? WITTEN: There was a Corpsman on duty. DUCKY: One Corpsman for an entire ward? WITTEN: We had seven patients. None were considered suicide risks. DUCKY: I’m sure their family will take great solace from that. JIMMY: She’s ready, Doctor Mallard. DUCKY: Well, let’s get her home, Mister Palmer.

CUT TO:

INT. CORRIDOR – DAY

REYNOLDS: What’s going on? WILLIAM: Jessica killed herself. I heard them say it. She’s deader than dead. REYNOLDS: Is it true? WITTEN: I’m afraid so, Catherine. Corpsman, can we get everyone in the day room, please? MORGAN: Yes, Sir. (ALL TALK B.G.) TONY: I take it you knew her well? REYNOLDS: We spent a month together here. It’s about a good chick bonding experience as any. TONY: Ah, it must be difficult. REYNOLDS: It’s hard. TONY: Yeah, I know. REYNOLDS: Really, really hard, Agent Tony. GIBBS: If you’re not too busy, DiNozzo. TONY: You’re a shy little thing. Yeesh!

CUT TO:

INT. NURSES’ STATION – NIGHT

MORGAN: I didn’t hear anything, Sir. GIBBS: Is this where you were most of the night? MORGAN: Unless I was making my rounds. KATE: When’s the last time you checked on Petty Officer Smith? MORGAN: Nineteen thirty, Ma'am. She was sedated and sleeping peacefully. TONY: If she was sedated, how did she manage to call us? KATE: And hang herself? MORGAN: Ma'am, I’ve seen patients kill themselves by stuffing their noses and throats full of toilet paper. If they want to do it, they find a way. GIBBS: Or they’re helped. Who classified her a non-suicide risk? MORGAN: Commander Witten, Sir. GIBBS: All right, that’s all for now. MORGAN: Yes, Sir. MCGEE: Boss, finished processing her room. Okay to tape it off now? GIBBS: Yeah. Go ahead. Do it. I also want everything on Witten and every contact he’s had with Petty Officer Smith. MCGEE: Tonight?! (BEAT) Oh, I’ll get right on it. What about doctor/patient confidentiality? TONY: It doesn’t exist in the military anymore, Probie. And sadly for some, it doesn’t exist between NCIS teammates either. KATE: You’re wasting your time. It doesn’t bother me anymore, Tony. TONY: Probie, want to see something hot? MCGEE: Sure. KATE: What’s it going to cost me?

TONY: I don’t know. Do you still have that Catholic schoolgirl uniform?

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY

FORNELL: Agent DiNozzo. TONY: I thought you were dead, Fornell. FORNELL: I got better. TONY: Does Gibbs know you’re sitting at his desk? FORNELL: Just checking my e-mail. Don’t think he’ll mind. TONY: (WHISPERS) How long has he been here? (SFX: ELEVATOR DINGS/DOORS SLIDE OPEN) MCGEE: Since I got in. KATE: Isn’t he supposed to be dead? TONY: Got better. KATE: Does Gibbs know he’s sitting at his desk? TONY: No. KATE: Oh, this is going to be… TONY: Great! GIBBS: Comfortable? FORNELL: Not really. There’s no lumbar support. And you should get a password to protect your computer. GIBBS: That’s what this is for. What do you want, Tobias? FORNELL: I’m hurt! Can’t an old friend just stop by and say hi? GIBBS: Well, you are old. I’ll give you that. FORNELL: Our usual conference room? GIBBS: Lead the way. (TO MCGEE) Hey, you make sure he didn’t do any of that virus goat rope crap to my… my thing.

GIBBS: Why is the FBI investigating a Navy Captain without informing us, Fornell? FORNELL: I forgot. You always inform us when one of your cases strays into FBI jurisdiction. GIBBS: I want to know about this case. FORNELL: They’re looking at a Captain Vetter for taking kickbacks. GIBBS: You came all the way down here to tell me that? FORNELL: That – and they want you to back off, Jethro. (GIBBS CHUCKLES) FORNELL: Believe me, I told them it was futile. GIBBS: What does Petty Officer Jessica Smith have to do with this? FORNELL: No idea. I’m just the messenger here. GIBBS: Now why don’t I believe that? FORNELL: I’d say mostly because you’re a bastard. But it wouldn’t do any good, would it? I’ll see what I can find out for you. No promises. GIBBS: Tobias, you owe me. FORNELL: You’re calling that in for a B-and-E on some Petty Officer’s house? GIBBS: She’s dead! FORNELL: How?

GIBBS: She killed herself last night. I want to know why. FORNELL: I’ll find out…under one condition. GIBBS: Name it. FORNELL: You don’t do anything to jeopardize our investigation into Captain Vetter. GIBBS: I wouldn’t dream of it. FORNELL: Why don’t I believe that? GIBBS: Mostly because I’m a bastard.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY

GIBBS: Hey, McGee! MCGEE: Boss! GIBBS: Get me the home address of Captain Ross Vetter. And get the sedan.

CUT TO:

EXT. CAPTAIN VETTER’S HOME – DAY

(DOOR BELL RINGS) (DOOR OPENS) VETTER: What do you want? GIBBS: To hear your side of the story. Off the record. (DOOR CLOSES)

CUT TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

VETTER: I’m being railroaded.

GIBBS: By who? VETTER: The military industrial complex. I wouldn’t play their game. GIBBS: What kind of game is that, Captain? VETTER: Do you know how defense contracts are decided in this country? GIBBS: Usually by the lowest bidder. VETTER: Every Senator, every Congressman, tries to grab a piece of the pie for their own people. MCGEE: For their state? VETTER: No, the people. The corporations that fund their campaigns. And then hire them after they get out of office, Agent McGee. GIBBS: Do you think that’s why the FBI is investigating you? VETTER: I know it! I was trying to change that system and now I’m paying for it. (VETTER KNOCKS HIS GLASS OVER) VETTER: Damn it! Sweetheart? Audrey? We need some towels out here. GIBBS: Kind of early for the single malt, isn’t it, Skipper? VETTER: You have no idea what the last couple of months have been like for me, for my family. GIBBS: No, I don’t. But you don’t know what it’s been like for Petty Officer Smith. VETTER: I’ve been meaning to visit her. GIBBS: A little late for that. MCGEE: Jessica Smith killed herself last night, Captain. VETTER: I knew she was having some issues when her fiancé died but… do you know why? MCGEE: That’s what we’re hoping to find out. AUDRY: When are you people going to leave us alone? VETTER: It’s all right, sweetheart. They’re NCIS agents.

AUDRY: I don’t care, Ross. I’m not answering anymore questions. I want them out of my home. VETTER: I’m sorry to hear about Jessica. She was like a daughter to me. I should have been there for her. GIBBS: She wanted us to pass a message on to you, Captain. MCGEE: The monsters were after her again. VETTER: The monsters? I don’t understand. GIBBS: We don’t either… yet. If you think of anything that might help, call me. VETTER: Of course. GIBBS: Sorry to bother you, Ma'am. You have a beautiful home. When I was a Marine, I could have never afforded a place as nice as this.

CUT TO:

INT. AUTOPSY ROOM – DAY

DUCKY: She was right, Jethro. Monsters were after her. Hanging leaves a telltale V mark on the neck here and here. And here as you can see, these marks are missing from her neck. Yes also, I found bruising and clotting on the inside of her nose and on the inside of her lips. GIBBS: She was smothered. DUCKY: Yes. Poor girl was dead long before the noose ever went anywhere near her neck. This was no suicide, Jethro. Our Petty Officer was murdered.

(MUSIC OUT)

FADE IN:

INT. NCIS GARAGE – DAY

KATE: (V.O.) Look familiar, sex machine? TONY: Now that you mention it… nope, it’s a different style t-shirt. See? KATE: I’m begging you, don’t! TONY: You gonna be nice? KATE: Yes. GIBBS: See what? TONY: Nothing, Boss. I’m just admiring Abby’s handiwork. GIBBS: Why? ABBY: Well, I was bored and I thought she needed a little personality. GIBBS: Does she have a purpose, Abby? ABBY: Several, in fact, according to her instruction manual. GIBBS: For the case, Abs. ABBY: Oh, right. Um… I think I know how Petty Officer Smith was strung up. According to her hospital chart, she was given fifteen milligrams of Trazodone when she arrived at Bethesda. That’s enough to zonk her out for most of the day. KATE: Then how did she make the phone call asking us for help? ABBY: Well, it would have started to wear off. She would have been weak, sluggish. At least enough for this… TONY: Except there were no signs of a struggle, Abby. ABBY: Have you ever been on Trazodone, Tony? I mean, she couldn’t have fought off a ten year old. But still there is a problem.

GIBBS: How’d they hang her afterwards? ABBY: Correct as always, my silver-haired fox. I mean Gibbs-Sir-Boss. See what’s missing? TONY: Nothing to stand on. ABBY: Exactly. How did the killer lift her body afterwards? KATE: There were two of them? ABBY: Possible. But there’s a simpler way. The legs of the bed act as a fulcrum. (SFX: BED CLANKS UPRIGHT) ABBY: Making it easy for one person to lift Jessica’s weight. TONY: That would have made some noise. KATE: Enough that you probably would have heard it at the nurses’ station. GIBBS: Manned by Corpsman Morgan. Have him report to NCIS tomorrow. Don’t tell him why! KATE: I saw that. TONY: Saw what? KATE: Nothing. I saw nothing.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT – DAY

GIBBS: You want some of this? I’ve got a clean cup around here somewhere. FORNELL: I’m not worried about your cups, Gibbs. How can you drink that rotgut? GIBBS: Easy. It’s got alcohol in it. FORNELL: Mccallan Eighteen. Now there’s a drink. GIBBS: What’d you find out about the FBI investigation into Captain Vetter? FORNELL: Officially not much.

GIBBS: Unofficially. FORNELL: They weren’t getting very far. So they decided to go for someone weaker in his office. GIBBS: His personal assistant, Petty Officer Smith. Why shut NCIS out of it? FORNELL: They worked her over pretty hard. Didn’t think you’d go along with it. Threats, jail time. They forced her to wear a wire to work. GIBBS: That woman just lost her fiancé in Iraq, Fornell. FORNELL: Which only made her more vulnerable – easy to manipulate. GIBBS: Man, you call me a bastard. FORNELL: It wasn’t my case, Gibbs. I’m just here doing a favor. That said, they think she was hiding something. GIBBS: What? FORNELL: Unfortunately, she killed herself before they could find out. GIBBS: Jessica Smith did not commit suicide. She was murdered. FORNELL: By whom? GIBBS: That’s a hell of a question, Tobias. That’s what you’re going to help me find out.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY

TONY: Book-on-tape Club? KATE: Jessica Smith’s therapy sessions. TONY: Anything interesting? KATE: Not with her psychologist, Commander Witten. She’s evasive, afraid to talk. MCGEE: She’s a little more outgoing in the group sessions, but not by much.

TONY: Is her friend Catherine Reynolds on those tapes, Probie? MCGEE: Yes. Ms. Catherine Reynolds… she is the one that talks about sex a lot. It gets kind of graphic. TONY: Oh, okay. I’m going to need to listen to those and probably take them home… KATE: Tony! What is wrong with you? (BEAT) Um… burn him a copy, McGee. TONY: What I was going to say, if the Petty Officer was afraid to talk in public, she might be talking in private. MCGEE: She may have opened up to some of her friends inside the ward? It’s a good idea. TONY: It’s a well-known fact, Mister McGee, that women tell each other everything. KATE: That would explain why none of my friends will go out with you. TONY: I’m sorry. Say something? KATE: Nothing. MORGAN: Agent DiNozzo? TONY: Yeah. MORGAN: I was told to report to you this morning. TONY: Not to me, Petty Officer. To him.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY

MORGAN: (FILTERED) Am I in trouble? GIBBS: (FILTERED) Depends. MORGAN: (FILTERED) On what, Sir? GIBBS: (FILTERED) You told us you were at the front desk your entire watch.

CUT TO:

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

MORGAN: Except for when I was making rounds, Sir. GIBBS: How long do the rounds take? MORGAN: A few minutes. GIBBS: A few minutes? Okay, I got that. Did you see anyone else come in or out of the exit of the ward that night? MORGAN: No, Sir. GIBBS: What about hearing anything unusual? MORGAN: No, nothing… until you showed up, Sir. GIBBS: Yep. We’ve got us a problem, Petty Officer. MORGAN: Sir? GIBBS: Jessica Smith was murdered last night.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY

MORGAN: (FILTERED) Murdered? GIBBS: (FILTERED) And according to you… you’re the only one that could have done it. KATE: There’s no way he did it. Look at his reaction. TONY: Maybe he’s just a good actor. KATE: Nobody’s that good. TONY: I’ve been thinking, Kate, about the photo… I’m sorry. I mean, you know I’d never give it out, right? In fact, I’m going to delete it right now. KATE: Really? TONY: Mm-hmm. KATE: Thank you, Tony. That would be a huge relief. What are you doing?! TONY: Acting, Kate. It’s not that hard. MORGAN: (FILTERED) I… I lied, Sir.

CUT TO:

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

GIBBS: Yeah. Yeah, I kind of figured that out for myself, Petty Officer. MORGAN: I screwed up, Sir. I really screwed up. GIBBS: I kind of figured that one out, too. MORGAN: I left my post for about forty minutes. I was… with someone. GIBBS: Does this person have a name? MORGAN: One of the… patients, Sir. Catherine Reynolds. GIBBS: Doing what? MORGAN: We’ve been having sex for three months now.

CUT TO:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – DAY

GIBBS: Tony, I want you to talk to Catherine Reynolds. See if she’ll verify Morgan’s alibi. TONY: My pleasure. GIBBS: Kate, you’re with me. McGee! McGee!! What the hell are you doing?! MCGEE: I’m listening to Petty Officer Smith’s group therapy sessions. There are two people that she interacts with the most, Catherine Reynolds and Lynn Simons. They’ve got a lot in common: knitting, crossword puzzles, the TV show Quantum… GIBBS: McGee! MCGEE: But I think they may be friends. GIBBS: Why does this matter? MCGEE: Well, she may have confided in them, told them something that she didn’t tell anybody else.

GIBBS: Good thinking, McGee. TONY: I’m the one who came-- GIBBS: Tony! Go babysit our Corpsman in interrogation. McGee, you interview Reynolds and Simons. TONY: Why didn’t you tell him I had that idea? MCGEE: Tony, a wise man once told me there’s no “I” in team.

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR – DAY

(DOORS SLIDE SHUT) KATE: Where are we going? GIBBS: Jessica Smith’s house. I think she was telling the truth about someone being in her bedroom.

CUT TO:

EXT. SMITH’S HOUSE – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS AND KATE WALK TO THE FRONT DOOR) (SFX: GUNSHOTS) GIBBS: (SHOUTS) Down! Are you okay? KATE: Yeah. GIBBS: Let’s get this bastard.

KATE: What do you think they were looking for? (MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS AND KATE SEARCH THE VENTS) KATE: I found something. Not quite sure what. Have any idea? GIBBS: That’s a radio receiver and broadcast speaker.

KATE: I guess Jessica Smith was hearing voices. GIBBS: Yeah, and they weren’t in her head.

(MUSIC OUT)

MUSIC IN:

INT. NCIS LAB – DAY

ABBY: So the parts are off the shelf, but the execution is very, very sophisticated. The receiver is actually the guts from a disposable cell phone. You dial the number and the device activates. GIBBS: Like a terrorist bomb. ABBY: Well yeah, but in this case, instead of an explosion we get this… (CREEPY VOICE ECHO) Jessica, Jessica, over here, over here. GIBBS: Whoa. ABBY: It’s like the sound track to Friday the Thirteenth. You know, the movie? There are like eleven of them. Oh, Gibbs. You really need to get out of your basement more. GIBBS: What were they about? ABBY: Basically there’s this guy that wears a hockey mask and he kills teenagers with a machete usually right after they had sex. GIBBS: Why? ABBY: Well, he died at summer camp so his mother killed everyone there. But he was actually alive and he was living in the woods. But then he died and he went to hell. And then he was frozen and he went to outer space…. It’s complicated. GIBBS: You don’t know, do you?

ABBY: Not a clue. I keep hoping they’re going to explain in the next one. GIBBS: You call me when you find something, Abby. (GIBBS WALKS INTO THE OUTER LAB) (CELL PHONE RINGS) GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs. ABBY: (V.O./FILTERED) Found something! (GIBBS WALKS BACK TO THE LAB) ABBY: See this? GIBBS: Yes. ABBY: I cut myself today installing a graphics card in my computer. GIBBS: Okay? You want me to kiss it or something? ABBY: That’d be really nice, but it’s not my point. Most of the metal inside electronics is unfinished. I cut myself all the time on burs and rough edges. GIBBS: Yeah, well you ought to try building a boat with hand tools after a couple shots of Jack. ABBY: Anyway, my point is I was snooping around the circuit board, and I found… this. (BEAT) It’s blood, Gibbs. Whoever assembled this cut themselves. We have their DNA. GIBBS: That’s great work, Abby. Feel better? ABBY: Much.

CUT TO:

INT. BETHESDA DAY ROOM – DAY

WITTEN: Is there some reason why you people don’t feel the need to call ahead? Or is it that you just enjoy arriving unannounced like this? MCGEE: Depends on the situation, Commander. WITTEN: Well, I have a ward to run here. I don’t have time for this, Agent McGee. MCGEE: I’m here to interview several of your patients. Catherine Reynolds and Petty Officer Lynn Simons. WITTEN: Simons was discharged from the Navy three weeks ago. Catherine Reynolds is in her room and I do not want her disturbed. You should have called. I could have saved you the trip. MCGEE: Commander, it wasn’t a request. WITTEN: Do you have any idea how upsetting your presence was the other night? MCGEE: Some. Do you have any idea what’s going on inside your own ward? WITTEN: And what exactly is that supposed to mean? MCGEE: Well, we can start with Corpsman Morgan having sex with Mrs. Reynolds during the last three months. WITTEN: That’s impossible. I would have known. MCGEE: Or we can end with Jessica Smith’s murder. It’s your call, Commander.

REYNOLDS: If I was, I wouldn’t be in here, Doc. Go away! WITTEN: (V.O.) You have a visitor. It’s NCIS Special Agent McGee. (DOOR OPENS) REYNOLDS: Bummer, thought it was the cute one. MCGEE: Well, I just need to ask you a few questions, Ms. Reynolds. REYNOLDS: Okay, as long as I can ask you some back. WITTEN: I’ll just be down the hall. (DOOR CLOSES) MCGEE: Uh… this is about Corpsman Timothy Morgan, Ma'am. Um… claims that he has been in a relationship with you and that on the night of Jessica Smith’s death, he was… REYNOLDS: With me, knocking boots. You take what you can get around here, Agent McGee. My turn. Are you a virgin? MCGEE: No. REYNOLDS: Are you sure? MCGEE: The last time I checked. And that was two questions, Ms. Reynolds. What time were you with Morgan? REYNOLDS: I think it was between seven and eight thirty. MCGEE: And uh… were you close to Jessica Smith at all? REYNOLDS: I really liked her. She didn’t belong here. Ever been in love? MCGEE: Love? Yeah, sometimes I think I might have been. Yeah. REYNOLDS: Honesty. I like that. Very rare in men. MCGEE: Did Jessica ever tell you anything about her problems? REYNOLDS: Yes. MCGEE: So what did she say? REYNOLDS: She was having an affair with a married man. MCGEE: She tell you his name?

REYNOLDS: Nope. MCGEE: All right. Well, thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. You’ve been very helpful. REYNOLDS: But she did tell Lynn Simons, who then told me. Boxers or tighty-whiteys? MCGEE: Uh depends, I guess both. REYNOLDS: What about right now? MCGEE: Boxers. REYNOLDS: He was her C.O. The bastard never returned any of her phone calls in here. So she asked Lynn to deliver a message for her.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM – DAY

MCGEE: Petty Officer Lynn Simons. Avionics and electronics tech. She received a medical discharge three weeks ago. Jessica Smith asked her deliver a message to Captain Vetter. She loved him and promised to forgive him if he would just contact her. KATE: Simons failed to report to her therapy session at the V.A. two weeks ago. No one’s seen her since, Gibbs. GIBBS: Find her. McGee, get Captain Vetter in here. If he refuses, put him in cuffs. TONY: You might want to hear this, Boss. Vetter and Commander Witten both served on the USS Kennedy in ninety nine. KATE: It’s a big ship, Tony. Could be a coincidence. GIBBS: Yeah, I don’t believe in coincidences. (INTO PHONE) Hey, it’s me. We need to talk.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY

MCGEE: So – what’s the plan, good cop, bad cop? KATE: More like bad cop, scary cop, McGee. MCGEE: Which one’s which? KATE: I think you’ll have to ask their ex-wives that one. VETTER: (FILTERED) I demand to know what the hell is going on here!

CUT TO:

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

FORNELL: Not much. Just the end of your life as you know it, Captain. VETTER: You see what I’ve had to deal with, Agent Gibbs? Threats, intimidation? I won’t stand for it! GIBBS: You told me Petty Officer Smith was like a daughter to you. VETTER: What’s that got to do with this? GIBBS: Considering you were sleeping with her, a lot. VETTER: I want a lawyer. GIBBS: Yeah, you’ll need one. She was murdered. FORNELL: We think it was you. GIBBS: Where were you Wednesday night? VETTER: At home with my wife. FORNELL: Well, we checked with her, Vetter. She said you went out. Didn’t come back till around midnight. VETTER: No, she’s lying! GIBBS: Maybe. FORNELL: They do tend to get vindictive when they find out you’ve been cheating on them.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY

VETTER: (FILTERED) You told her about Jessica? GIBBS: (FILTERED) I did. You might want to consult a divorce lawyer while you’re at it.

CUT TO:

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

VETTER: I didn’t kill Jessica. I loved her, for God’s sake. FORNELL: He loved her, Gibbs. I guess that’s it then. We’ve got to let him go. GIBBS: Sure. After eighty or ninety years in Leavenworth. FORNELL: You have means, you have motive and you have no alibi, Vetter. GIBBS: She catch you taking the kickbacks or was she just helping you? VETTER: She caught me. The money was supposed to have been for us, after the divorce. But I swear to you both, I didn’t – I couldn’t kill her. FORNELL: You know what might help me believe him, Gibbs? GIBBS: If he started crying? FORNELL: No. If the good Captain here told us where the money is. VETTER: Are you offering me a deal? GIBBS: Depends… who else knew the location of the money? VETTER: Only me, me and Jessica.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. MTAC ROOM – DAY

TONY: (V.O.) He’s telling the truth, Boss. He stashed the money in a gym locker.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR – PARKED

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Looks to be around eight hundred thousand in a green duffle bag

CUT TO:

INT. MTAC ROOM – DAY

FORNELL: Who do you think’s going to pick it up, Gibbs? GIBBS: Our killer. MCGEE: Boss, the GPS marker Tony put with the money is showing movement. GIBBS: (INTO RADIO) Bag’s in play, DiNozzo. Have Kate tighten up on the entrance.

REYNOLDS: Get out. SIMONS: What… are you doing? REYNOLDS: What I always do. Survive.

SIMONS: But if it wasn’t for me, you never would have gotten her back in the hospital. You never would have known where she hid the money. REYNOLDS: True. Now get out, bitch. TONY: (SHOUTS) Drop the weapon! REYNOLDS: They followed you! TONY: Drop it! (SFX: EMPTY GUN CHAMBER CLICKS) SIMONS: (SHOUTS) It’s not loaded! Please don’t shoot! Please! (MUSIC OVER ACTION/ STRUGGLE/ SHOUTING) REYNOLDS: You stupid bitch! Don’t touch me! TONY: You’re not my type, lady. Hey, get your hands on the wheel! Kate, cuff this whack-job! (SFX: REYNOLDS STRUGGLES B.G.)